Every course I teach starts with the three NRA rules for safe gun handling:

• ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction
• ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
• ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

In the NRA Basics of Pistol course, we also cover additional safety rules needed to be a responsible gun owner.  One of these rules is:

• Store guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized persons

It is important that guns are not left lying around.  A gun is incredibly attractive to kids.  If they see it, they will want to touch it but they do not realize how dangerous it is.   This month I've seen two articles about young kids getting accidentally killed playing with guns.

• The first one was a 5 year old girl in Georgia who was shot and killed by a playmate at a babysitter's house.
• The second incident was a 2 year old boy in Indiana who shot and killed himself.

I never leave guns just lying around.  When I'm done at the range or carrying for self protection, I always put the guns into a safe or lockbox.  Some people may see this article and say, "I can't afford to buy a safe."  You don't have to buy a safe for $1000 or more, even something as simple and cheap as a $20 lockbox will keep your guns away from kids.  Also, all new guns come with a cable lock.   These aren't the best thing for quick access but would prevent the tragedies likes the ones mentioned above.

Bottom line, if you can't afford to or won't lock up the gun when not in use you shouldn't buy it.  

I saw two recent articles that reminded me of the importance of carrying a gun with you as often as possible - even when you don't expect to need it.  It isn't only bad guys a handgun can protect you from.

Last month, 36 year-old Ruthie Mae Brown was fatally mauled by a pack of dogs while out for a walk in Alabama.  What a tragedy for her four kids to lose their Mom in such a needless way!  Carrying a gun while out walking or running is not easy or convenient but clothing options are getting much better, even for ladies.  Check out something like the concealed carry leggings made by UnderTech Undercover.

The second story I saw happened earlier this month in Washington State.  In that instance, a man protected himself from a pack of wolves with a rifle.   Not much detail was provided in this article either but the man carried a rifle with him while checking his game camera.  To quote the author:

"Carrying a gun in the woods is, once again, considered prudent and wise. Fortunately, guns and ammunition are better, more powerful, reliable, and relatively cheaper than they have ever been before."

There were two different outcomes in these stories because one of the victims had the ability to protect himself against predators.

As I wrote back in June, Americans have been buying guns at a record rate in 2020.  According to the NRA, as of August we're up to 5 million new gun owners in 2020!  How awesome is that?  See their Instagram post below.

I'm excited that many people have decided to take their self protection into their own hands and exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.  I'd like to welcome all new guns owners into our community.   I'm hopeful that we will see the impact of these new gun owners in November at the ballot box.

Vote for freedom!

I've been training lots of new shooters lately.  Most of them really enjoy their experience learning to shoot and ask what would be good next steps.   I've always offered an Intermediate and Advanced Defensive handgun as good next steps but nothing specifically focused on improving marksmanship.  I recently found the NRA's Marksmanship Qualification Program.  This program includes standard courses of fire with various types of guns to qualify at each of the following levels:

• Pro-Marksman
• Marksman
• Sharpshooter
• Expert
• Distinguished Expert

I decided to shoot the prescribed courses of fire to see what level I would qualify at.  Below you can see my final target qualifying at the "Distinguished Expert" level.   I shot this target with my Glock 19 from 30 feet with five shots in ten seconds with each left and right hand using one and two handed grips (20 shots total in 40 seconds).   Open the link above if you'd like to read more about the MQP standards and courses of fire.

Working my way through the levels was tons of fun and I think will really help new shooters develop speed and accuracy.  Next time you go to the range, give it a try! 

I've taught a lot of new gun owners to shoot in the last two months.  The crazy events of the year 2020 drove many people to buy guns and get training in how to protect themselves.  Four of my recent students (all women) brought with them a brand-new M&P Shield EZ handgun.  This gun is built by Smith and Wesson and chambered in .380 Auto or 9mm.   I think these guns are very popular because they are affordable, easy to rack and comfortable in small hands.   

Everyone that brought it to my course plans to use it for self defense.   However, once we got out on the range and started shooting each of the four students had issues de-activating the grip safety.  Sometimes the gun would fire and something they would have to readjust their grip to get it to fire.  This happened with four out of four students using an M&P EZ!  A grip safety is supposed to be automatically de-activated when you grip the gun.  You shouldn't have to think about it.  These ladies each had a correct two-handed grip on the gun (strong-side hand high on the backstrap) and did not always de-activate the grip safety.  I've never seen someone have problems de-activating a grip safety on any other makes of gun (such as the Springfield Armory XD or a 1911).  Due to the performance I've seen with these guns, I would NOT recommend you purchase one for yourself.

Bottom line:

• Pros: They are easy to rack and small and concealable.  Good trigger, grip texture and sights.  
• Cons: Grip safety:  will it go bang when you need it to?

Ever since the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Americans have been buying guns at an amazing rate.

Fox Business reports that the National Shooting Sports Federation estimated that there are 2.5 million new gun owners since the start of 2020.  The Washington Times reported that Virginia guns sales were 77% higher from in the first five months of 2020 versus the same period in 2019.   

Guns sales traditionally spike when there is any sort of civil unrest that make people uncomfortable with the government's ability to protect them.  I know gun sales have surged even more since the George Floyd protests turned violent.  I appreciate that people want to have the ability to protect themselves.  

Congratulations to all of the new gun owners!  If you are one of them, I'd recommend you seek some training to give you the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to own and operate a gun safely.   Search for courses available in your area on NRA Training's website.

For everyone else, my encouragement to you is to not wait for the next big panic event.  Prepare ahead of time for the unexpected: a pandemic, riots or a hurricane that knocks out power to your house for 5 days.  Buy enough of whatever supplies your family will need to last through events like this when they aren't at peak demand.  

As I wrote recently, I was looking for a quick access safe in order to store a rifle in my bedroom.  I decided on an ARVault by GunVault.  When I opened the safe to prepare to hang it on my wall, I found the following warning (highlighting is mine):

"WARNING:  The manufacturers and distributors of the ARVault safe do not recommend, suggest, advise, promote or otherwise condone the ownership or use of firearms.  We at GunVault Inc. believe the decision to own or use the firearm is a serious decision that should only be made by an adult who has carefully considered the risks and benefits of such a decision."

Seriously, the makers of a gun safe, do not condone the ownership of firearms!?!  This was shocking to me and I immediately returned the safe.  When I spend money with gun makers and gun accessories, I want to spend my dollars with companies that will stand with us and support our gun rights.  Needless to say, I won't be buying any more products from GunVault.

Have you ordered your Virginia AR lower from Palmetto State Armory yet?  Not only is this a seriously sweet looking lower for your next AR build, $10 of your purchase goes to VCDL to help protect our 2nd Amendment rights in Virginia!  I ordered mine last week and can't wait to get it.

If you haven't built an AR, it is a really fun (and easy) process.  The lower is the only part of the gun that is controlled by the ATF.  So when you order your lower, you'll have to choose a local gun store to complete the transfer to you.  The rest of the parts can be bought at numerous online sites.  I'll include a picture of my first AR build below (that one used an Aero Precision lower).  

Mike Bloomberg has set his sights on Virginia.  He wants to push his own socialist agenda down our throats and his checkbook has bought him support from Democrats far and wide.  

This is a fight they shouldn't start.  Over 90% of Virginia counties have declared themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries (see map below).  It is clear the vast majority of Virginians do not want more gun control.  As I mentioned before, gun control is not about guns or making us safer, it is about control.  Those pushing gun control just want control of the citizens.  They don't like us to be able to protect ourselves and our families.  

A friend and I took part in the VCDL gun rights rally this week.   It was amazing to see so many people from all walks of life united in one thing - our love for freedom.  There we people shoulder-to-shoulder for three blocks around the Capital!  The news coverage of this event was a joke.  They called it a rally of white supremacists and expected violence.  What actually happened was an enormous number of gun owners showed-up for a peaceful rally to remind our Governor and Legislature that they are supposed to represent us. 

The Senate already has passed a number of bad bills including Universal Background check, One Handgun a Month and the worst of the all: Red Flag Gun Confiscation.  These are an assault on our liberty and should not be tolerated.  I'm sure any of these that make it into law will be challenged in court but that doesn't mean we should depend on the court to throw them out.  Let's get really active in the political process and try to stop them from becoming law.